


Rule of Thumb

by Marijke_Rose



Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: AU, Day 9, M/M, Mourning, No.9, Ritual Sacrifice, Whumptober 2020, chopping thumbs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marijke_Rose/pseuds/Marijke_Rose
Summary: What if Red and Purple had their thumbs chopped off like all previous Tallests?I explored that in day 9 of Whumptober.Thanks to SpicySnowflake for the idea!!! <3—-Sorry it’s late. Have had some issues (with life) and got delayed. Day 10 and 11 will probably be uploaded with day 12.
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Purple/Almighty Tallest Red
Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948705
Kudos: 14
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Rule of Thumb

The Past:

_“It has been tradition for eons that the Tallest have their thumbs removed as a show that they are so amazing, they are capable of ruling the Empire with only two fingers,” Tallest Miyuki explained as she held up her bare hand._

_Two fingers. And a disturbing light scar where her thumb should have been._

_Red and Purple, Ascending Tallests and therefore next in line to rule, looked at their own bare hands. Two fingers and a thumb._

_“It’s not pleasant,” Miyuki continued as she regarded their fully intact hands. “But the pain goes away soon enough.”_

_Red and Purple shared a sorrowful look. Neither wanted to lose their thumbs._

  
  


***

  
  


Present Day:

Purple sat on the couch, munching on an Irken taco as another PAD was tossed onto the pile on the table before him. When another followed, skimming over the pile, and hit his foot, he glared at his co-ruler. 

“What are you doing _now?”_ What had Red been doing for the last several hours?

Another came flying, this time hitting his knee and causing his leg to jerk.

“Hey!” he snapped, rubbing it. “That hurt!”

After a couple moments, Red drew back from the storage bin he'd been digging through since breakfast and turned to face his co-Tallest, glaring. “You know, I can’t find ANYTHING that says why we have to have our thumbs chopped off,” he grumbled.

“Because it’s tradition and to show that the Tallest are so amazing—“

“—that they can rule with just two fingers. _I know,”_ Red finished irritably.

“Right,” Purple said, feeling insulted at being interrupted.

“But what’s the REASON for it? Who even cares about our thumbs anyway? No one was _there_ for the chopping!”

Purple sniffed and took another bite. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss his thumbs too, but after all these years he had gotten used to it. Also, why question the laws now? What’s done was done.

“Even so,” he said once he’d swallowed. “It’s not like we could just have them reattached.”

“I… I dunno,” Red admitted and looked over at him. “I mean, we could. They keep the thumbs of all Tallests preserved. I’ve seen them.”

Purple made a face. “Ew.” And had another bite of his taco. “Why would they do _that?”_

Red sighed and flopped down next to Purple. “In case there’s ever a shortage of DNA. They can just use some from the best Irkens ever,” he said as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Seriously?”

“Uh-huh. And they also have blood and tissue samples from their ‘spooches and-“

“Red! Stop! I’m losing my appetite! That’s disgusting!” He put his taco down so he could turn and glare at his partner properly. “What, do they just have a jigsaw puzzle of Tallest pieces up there or what?”

“Pretty much. It’s actually kinda creepy.” Red held up his hands and wiggled his two bare fingers. “They’re all labelled.”

“Do they have pieces of _my_ ‘spooch too?!”

“No, they take that after we die,” Red answered. “But they did have some of our blood.”

Purple got up and, with a thought sent to the computer via his PAK, robot arms began dressing him in his armor.

“Where are you going?” Red asked from the couch as Purple’s gauntlet was clipped shut.

“Away from _you_ and your morbid tales,” Purple grumbled back before turning to leave the room. “You’re creepier than _Zim.”_

“Doesn’t it bother you that they took a part of us for no reason?” 

Purple stopped. Turned around. And glared at his mate, his lower lip stuck out. “No.”

  
  


***

  
  


But Purple very much DID mind.

He flopped down next to his partner the next day. Not having his thumb had kept him awake most of the night.

He held up his bare, _mutilated_ hand and regarded the pale scar sadly. Just like Miyuki’s. Every smaller had their thumbs, and they had fewer responsibilities than the Tallest.

“It’s not fair,” he complained.

A moment later, Red laid his equally mutilated hand over Purple’s. “I know,” he said solemnly. “It’s not.”

“I always thought there was a good reason for it.”

“And _I_ thought there were laws about it,” Red added, grumbling too. “But I’ve been through all the law books and there isn’t a single one that says we have to.”

“So… we…”

“We’ve been chopped up for a stupid tradition,” Red affirmed, nodding.

Both gave a sad sigh as they regarded their two-fingered hands.

“For nothing more than ritual sacrifice,” they said in unison.

  
  



End file.
